Baseball Ireland - Award Winners

This page is dedicated to those players and teams who, through the years, have (extraordinarily enough) excelled on the Emerald Diamonds of Ireland.

Since 2005, the annual individual Irish League awards given out have an Irish Flavour in an effort to pay homage to the great Irish players who played in the Major Leagues from years gone by. For example, instead of the traditional Cy Young Award being given to the League`s Top Pitcher, recipients are presented with the `Tommy Bond` Best Pitcher Award. See below the other award titles and a brief biography of the great men who deserve such recognition.

The `Andy Leonard `League MVP Award
Andy Leonard from Co Cavan, was indeed one of the nine "First Boys of Summer" and the only Irish-born player on the World Champion Cincinnati Red Stockings team of 1869 and the very first in professional baseball. He continued his feats and helped create and sustain the original Boston Red Stockings championship dynasty from 1872 through 1876 and again in 1878, competing all tolled in six world championships. (Yes, before the drought brought on by the "Curse of the Bambino", first Cincinnati, then Boston was the glory of 19th century baseball.)
He had the joint 2nd best career average for an Irish player of .299. He was said to be the finest left fielder of his generation. He took particular delight in returning in 1874 during an exhibition tour of the Red Stockings and the runner-up Philadelphia Athletics. In his diary and press clippings of that year, Andy and his life-long friend Harry Wright were the leading batsmen as the Yanks walloped the then reigning Marybone champions in London at their own game, cricket.The `Tommy Bond` Best Pitcher Award
Tommy Bond was born in Granard in Co Longford in 1856. He became the first triple crown pitcher when he led the National League with 40 wins, 170 strikeouts, and a 2.11 ERA for Boston in 1877.The `Dirty` Jack Doyle Silver Slugger Award
Ireland native `Dirty` Jack Doyle is one of 20 major leaguers to have played 100 games at four different positions. Of all the Irish players he had the most career doubles (315), home runs (26), RBI (968) and highest slugging percentage (.385). He was 2nd behind Patsy Donovan in triples, runs, steals and average. He was also reputedly baseball`s first pinch hitter, coming off the bench to single for the Giants in 1892. Doyle was born in Killorglin, Co Kerry.The `Patsy Donovan` Batting Champion Award
Patsy Donovan was probably the most successful Irish-born major leaguer, having played the most games and boasted the best batting average. He was also responsible for bringing a certain Babe Ruth to the attention of the Red Sox. He starred with the Pirates for eight seasons, notching six consecutive .300 seasons and serving as player-manager in 1897 and 1899.